Emmanuel: Ethnic Prejudice?

It is neither ethnic nor prejudice. Here are the facts.

The recent Israeli High Court ruling against parents of students in the Israeli town of Emmanuel and the ensuing massive haredi demonstration on the parents’ behalf present an opportunity to either jump to conclusions or objectively evaluate the facts.

Several Sephardi parents -- Israelis of North African and Middle-Eastern backgrounds -- in the town brought a lawsuit aimed at preventing other parents of students who had been studying in the local Beit Yaakov girls’ school from maintaining a new school the latter group had established. The court ruled that the new school was born of illegal ethnic discrimination and, later, that the “new school” parents’ subsequent second choice – to send their daughters to a school in another city -- was also forbidden them. The court fined those parents for each day they refused to comply with its order to return their children to the Emmanuel Beit Yaakov, threatened them with prison and then made good on the threat. On June 17, the parents, wearing their Sabbath clothes, were held aloft and escorted to the prison by a peaceful crowd of tens of thousands, singing and dancing, in a demonstration of support for the soon-to-be prisoners.

What gives here? Well there are two versions. First, the one presented by most media:

Racial prejudice lay at the root of the parents’ desire for a separate school for their children and their refusal to abide by the court ruling. The large number of supporters who turned out on their behalf reflected a general haredi Ashkenazic disdain for the “segregation” of Sephardim.

Version two:

The jailed parents sought only to preserve the religious standards the Emmanuel school had maintained for many years. Changing demographics over the years in Emmanuel brought an influx of families with less stringent standards of Jewish observance, dress and insularity (including things like use of the internet and personal messaging, which are shunned by many haredim for religious reasons) than the original residents of the town. In the age of Internet, when one student exposed to pornographic material can affect an entire class, the trend in all charedi schools has been towards greater protections. Some of the long-time residents with school-age children saw a need for two different educational institutions to service Emmanuel’s girls. That most of the new families happened to be of Sephardi heritage played no role at all in that decision.

The first version was endorsed by Israel’s High Court, which pronounced that the new school evidenced prejudice and ordered the parents who had founded it to return their children to the Emmanuel Beit Yaakov.

Those parents, however, insisted, and insist, that the court finding was wrong, that their choice was a matter of religious conscience. They refused to be coerced to send their children to a school of the court’s choice and readily went to jail for their civil disobedience. The larger haredi community, wary of the High Court in the best of circumstances and seeing it as having ignored clear facts in this case, rallied to the parents’ side.

Which version reflects the truth?

Discrimination against Sephardim exists in Israeli society, and it must be fought wherever it appears. But that is not the case in Emmanuel.

There is no doubt that discrimination against Sephardim exists in Israeli society, and that it is pernicious and must be fought wherever it appears. The question about the Emmanuel issue, though, is whether such discrimination -- or, rather, parents’ concerns for the tenor of their children’s educations -- motivated the establishment of the new school.

Several simple facts, although oddly absent from most news reports, seem to point in one direction: More than a quarter of the girls who had been enrolled in the new school were… Sephardim. And there were Ashkenazi girls who remained in the original Beit Yaakov too. What is more, not one applicant to the new school was rejected. Any girl willing to abide by the school’s standards was welcomed, regardless of her ethnic background. The “segregation,” it seems, consisted of nothing more than two schools offering two different sets of religious standards.

The High Court emperor’s nakedness may have been most succinctly voiced by one of the parents who went to jail, as he was held aloft by the crowd and a reporter’s microphone put before him. “Are you a Sephardi?” asked the off-camera voice, its owner having apparently noticed the man’s complexion.

“Yes,” he replied, “A Yemenite.” Then, with a wry smile at the absurdity of it all, he added “A Yemenite is being taken in [to prison] for racism. Ata meivin? [You understand?]”

And yet the headlines blared on, using charged phrases like “ethnic prejudice” and “segregation,” and portraying the jailed parents and their supporters as seeking to discriminate against Sephardim, invoking, as did the court, American blacks’ struggle for civil rights in the 1950s.

They got it perfectly backward. The haredi parents and marchers were championing their rights as parents to educate their children as they wish. They, if anyone, are the Martin Luther Kings here. The court, sad to say, assumed the Bull Connor role.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 45

(45)
RG,
August 22, 2010 7:07 AM

Attorney Mordechai Bass' evaluation

ATTORNEY MORDECHAI BASS' EVALUATION OF THE BEIS YAAKOV EMANUEL CASE:
you can see the original 15 page report in Hebrew on the following website:
http://beisyaakovemanuel.blogspot.com
“The percentage of Ashkenazi families in the original school is 23%, and in the new (Chasidi) school, 73%.”
“All parents wanting to sign up their daughters to the new school, and were ready to accept upon themselves the school’s conditions, were accepted (lit. “not refused”). Since there was no rejection (of any applicants), where is the discrimination?”
“…photographers claimed that the cloth that was placed on the (pre-existing) fence prevented the girls from seeing each other. This is not true. Only part of the fence was covered. The yard surrounds the school from four directions, and the girls (from both schools) are able to see and play with each other. The (media) portrayal of two completely separate sections of the school yard…is not true.”
The original school has 107 Sephardic girls and 32 Ashkenazim. The percentage of Ashkenazim is thus 23%. The new (Chasidi) school has 58 Ashkenazi girls and 21 Sephardim. The percentage of Sephardim is thus 27%"
“I spoke to the plaintiffs and asked for one instance of parents who asked to register their daughter and was refused and they had no such case.
“The division was not ethnic, it was religious. I am convinced that there is no ethnic discrimination.”
"When ethnic discrimination actually occurs, we must combat it with all our might. I express my sorrow about complaints like these - thrown in the air - that increase hatred among Israel, and are totally baseless.”
Signed
Attorney Mordechai Bass

(44)
Anonymous,
July 7, 2010 11:28 PM

Peace and Harmony, yes!

Iliana said it very well. Israel and Jews around the world have enough enemies without internal conflicts.

(43)
Iliana,
July 1, 2010 4:35 PM

Peace and Harmony

Jews need to stick together. There should be peace from within the borders of Israel and between all Jews. There are enough enemies to fight with.

(42)
Chana,
June 30, 2010 11:38 AM

Presentation

When the incident was first brought to the public's attention, the media quoted one of the Ashkanazi girls as saying "they built a wall in the middle of the yard and told us in Yiddish "you stay on your side and they will stay on theirs". I'm sorry, there does seem to be some elements of ethnic discrimination in this......

(41)
Tirtza,
June 29, 2010 9:12 PM

Commentators to this article should read the "Price of Disunity" article first

How guilty we all are today of "sinas hinam."
Look no further than your own nose to see the shortcomings of others.
May we all do tzeuvah for this horrible averah and merit to see the coming of the Masiach in our days. Amen.

(40)
a. averick,
June 29, 2010 6:41 PM

confused

what i read in the news was that the parents were making their own class in the old school and not a seprate new school. if it is a case of making a new school what's the problem so long as everyone is exsepted what is wrong with making a new school?

(39)
Ruth,
June 29, 2010 5:16 PM

I was waiting to hear what really happened.

When I heard the news I was shocked of course, but suspicious. In the absence of other explanation it's impossible to know what happened. Thank You for the clarification. Can you send this to all the general Jewish community newspapers as well? Many cities have papers that supposedly cover Jewish news but are biased against religious Jews unless informed otherwise directly.

(38)
Miriam,
June 29, 2010 4:18 PM

To Josh

I understand that you feel the Israeli Supreme Court decision should be kept at all costs, to honor Israel's legal system. You definitely have a point. However: what if the issue here was an environmental one? What if the school was in close perimeters to a toxic area and the numbers of child cancer occurances were rocketing in children attending that school? Would you still think the Supreme Court ruling should be kept at all costs? To many parents (including myself), internet access is seen as a real danger, as real and as frightening as any other danger. Those in the know (the rabbis at whose adresses all problems end up) are quite vocal about this.

(37)
Wilfred Caez,
June 29, 2010 2:49 PM

Discrimination, no matter how you present it is still discrimination.

I grew up in New Jersey, during the late 40's and through the 70's.
When you are the intended target of discrimination no matter how it is wrapped, it is still discrimination. Separate but equal was a common practice in American at one time. Equal schools for all children, yet separate, was once the law of the land.
I would hope that a progressive country such as Israel would not tolerate such a practice no matter what the underlining reason is given.

(36)
Zehava,
June 29, 2010 1:56 PM

Why The High Court Is Involved

The Israeli government is funding most "Chinuch Atzmai" (Charedi) education. Here in the states the cost of sending a child to an Orthodox day school is at least $10,000 a year. In Israel it is less than a thousand. That's to a large extent because of Israeli government funding. Chazal say: "Baal Hameah hu baal hadeah". The one who pays has a say. Here in the states we are moser nefesh to pay so much for our children's education to avoid this problem. I bet Rabbi Akiva didn’t get funding from the Roman government. Can you imagine that here in the states in government funded schools there would be a quota against Jews and they would be called derogatory names? I can just see Aish.com running articles to protest this. I can see Jews contacting their representatives to demand how come their money is spent to promote discrimination. We would demand a stop to these practices and even justify putting in prison those who refuse to obey the law.
It’s unfortunate that the high court had to be involved. It would be much better if the Rabbis stood firm against discrimination.

(35)
Anonymous,
June 29, 2010 10:17 AM

Mistakes.

Josh: You said "There is NO Torah without Derech Eretz (respect for law of the land)." Derech Eretz generally refers to earning a living, not respect for law of the land. I think that what you meant was "Dina Dmalchusa Dina," (The law of the government is law), you should really investigate this more, there are many opinions ( there is a good shiur from R' Asher Weis that can be found on Kol Halashon) on how to apply that rule, but according to all opinions if the government tells you do go against torah, you are obligated to NOT FOLLOW THE GOVERNMENT, you may even be required to be moser nefesh. According to your to your reasoning, Rabbi Akiva "made a tremendous Chillul Hashem" when he went against the roman courts and taught torah.
To Adina: You said "While so much of the secular community and court systems in Israel laudably fights discrimination," How many sfardim sit on the BGATZ ? How many Sefardic parents went to jail ? Check your facts.
To all of you that are claiming "Chillul Hashem." What is a bigger chillul hashem ? A "jewish" court system that compleetly disregards torah and gedolei yisroel ? Or parents who are willing to go to jail in order to provide their children with a traditional jewish education?
You have been brain washed by secular media.

(34)
Basya,
June 29, 2010 10:04 AM

questions for josh

Josh, do you live in this country? Because it sounds from your comment that you do not at all understand the way the high court works here.
If it is rule of law that you want, maybe you should demand that the Israeli supreme court follow some laws.
What law gives them the power to force parents to send their child to a specific school, of the high court's choosing? To send them to jail for refusing?
That court is supposed to protect individual freedoms, not to remove them.

(33)
josh,
June 29, 2010 4:42 AM

Please Rabbi, it's time we stop making excuses for ourselves. As an Orthodox community It's time we start asking ourselves tough questions. Whether we agree with the Supreme Court ruling or not, the Torah is clear. There is NO Torah without Derech Eretz (respect for law of the land). The parents who refused to obey the Supreme Court have made a tremendous Chillul Hashem (desecration of G-d's name) and undermined the democratic Israeli legal system.

(32)
Zehava,
June 29, 2010 2:13 AM

"Basic" Facts Were Taken Out Of Context

When you take facts out of context you can create any picture you want to portray.
- In the context of a quota the fact that 27% of the girls are Sephardi does not mean that many other deserving Sephardi girls were not excluded.
- The fact that not one girl in the newly established school was rejected does not mean that the enrollment was open to all girls and everyone felt they could apply. The context is that the situation in Emmanuel is going on for more than 3 years. At some point 2 "megamot", tracks were established and many Sephardi girls were excluded from the “Chasidic” one. When the court disapproved of these segregated tracks, the “Chasidic” track turned itself into a separate school. And wonder of wonders not one girl was rejected!
- Emmanuel is a Charedi settlement and not mixed. People who decide to go and live there do so because they want to avoid secular influences and maintain strict levels of religious observance. It is ridiculous to say that all the other Sephardi families maintain lesser standards and have T.V. or internet in their homes.
- The school is Chasidic but when all this started it was the only Bais Yaakov in town. Even if that wasn’t the case, my children go to a “Yeshivish” school here in the U.S. where many of the children are Chasidic and some are Sephardi. They all get along and the Chasidic and Sephardi children learn their particular customs at home. Why couldn’t this happen in Emmanuel?
Don’t pick and choose the facts, take them out of context and sugar-coat them to justify discrimination.

(31)
Ely,
June 29, 2010 2:04 AM

Who is missing the point here?

Ok Eric, lets stick to the facts of this particular case:
1. This article argues that there was not racism involvred in Emmanuel "They got it perfectly backward".
2. The argument is based on the contention that that the girls segregated were segregated since they were not religious enough.
3. The only actual fact mentioned (contrary to the title "here are the factS") that is a support for this contention is that one of the father's jailed was Yemenite.
4. The author of the article makes no claim of personal knowledge of the religious levels of the girls in the school, as Zehava correctly points out (and I will generalize here from my own knowledge) Rabbanim here in Israel have come on the radio (Charedi radio - Kol Hai) and testified that they know the families and that that they are not lacking in anyway in their strict observance of Jewish law.
5. So we have the author of the article that provides a contention (that the girls are from less religious families) with no evidence whatsoever (not even heresay) and Rabbanim who come on the radio in Israel who say that, from their personal knowledge, this is not true. I assume you can get Kol Hai radio over the radio somehow and verify that this is true.
6. As for the Yeminite father - this argument is essentially stating that 'if there isn't 100% segregation there can't be rascism involved'. I addressed this point in my comment below. I live in Israel and tell you that it is common knowledge here that Charedi schools sell themselves as "good schools" by restricting the number of Sephardi students to a small percentage of the total number of students. It's no secret, and I challenge you to speak to someone in Bnei Brak who will deny it.
7. Therefore the author's statment that while there is pernicious racism in Israeli society here is unsubstantiated and doesn't raise the otherside - that the contention that the girls segregated were from less religious families.

(30)
Adina,
June 28, 2010 10:53 PM

Unfortunately, discrimination happens ALL the time

While so much of the secular community and court systems in Israel laudably fights discrimination against Sephardim and Ethiopian Jewry, much of the religious community does not. That's a chillul hashem. I know a little boy who had severe diabetes who lived in another West Bank settlement. As a result, he had to get shots every few hours from his mother, who, as a result, couldn't have a full-time job because she had to attend to his illness. He had to travel to ANOTHER town to attend school-because he wasn't allowed to attend the Ashkenazi school NEXT DOOR to his home because his shomer-shabbes, shomer-kashrus wasn't Ashkenazi enough. His family was very spiritual, and his parents were committed to his spiritual education.
If that is not discrimination, I don't know what is. It's a chillul hashem that R. Shafran is defending divisions against Jews. It's idiotic policies, like the ones in Emmanuel, that are keeping Moschiach from coming.

(29)
Janine,
June 28, 2010 8:04 PM

No Justification

The ways of the Torah are pleasant and are supposed to spread love and peace in the world. It seems irrelevant whether the issue in Emmanuel was one of racism or level of religious observance, the result is the same: a show of intolerance by those who claim to represent the face of Torah in Israel. This is a Chilul Hashem and will only widen the gap between Charedim and other sectors of Israeli society.

(28)
Sarah,
June 28, 2010 7:04 PM

There is bias but...

There is bias in both the charedi and secular society, let's face it. But as a baal teshuvah I can attest to the fact there is far more bias against balei teshuvahs rather than based on whether or not you are Ashkenaz or Sefardi. There is also bias against those without degrees, wealth, and so on. Charedi and more modern groups all have bias reflecting bias in the society at large. Still, I would say there was far less in the frum world than in the non-frum world. And the truth is, growing up in secular Israel or America you are exposed to such shmutz that I wouldn't expose my children to it in any format if I had the choice. I don't blame the parents in Emmanuel--this was clearly about religious levels and innocent schoolchildren cannot be expected to be subjected to the the fallout from secular society. The difference between frum and non-frum kids is very real, sadly. The innocence simply isn't there. The parents, Ashkenaz, Sefardi, whatever are right to protetc their kids from exposure to non-religious kids--although I do think that certain supervised activities are important for both groups--it is good for religious Jews to love non-religious Jews and vice versa. Hey, I grew up non-religious andwhat I was exposed to--"normal" television, movies and a social scene based on interactions between boys and girls. on my worst enemy well I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. It still haunts me and my other balei teshuvah friends-it affects our marriages, our interactions in frum society--frankly, everything.

(27)
Gil Chaim L, Ross,
June 28, 2010 4:48 PM

Discrimination against sephardim

The reality: discrimination against Sephardim exists also in Costa Rica from other congregations of jewish faith. I came from Spain since 1492, but my faith is the same than other people of Jewish People.

(26)
Anonymous,
June 28, 2010 4:07 PM

Taking advantage...

From the few comments here you see how emotionally charged people are of this painful reality of discrimination. The court and media took advantage of these emotions to gain approval for their distorted justice and putting their power where it doesn't belong. This kind of action should worry everyone - court telling you where you have to educate YOUR children??? Yes, discrimination must be addressed, but are you comfortable with THIS? Sounds scary to me. Many of those commenting with passion about how wrong it is to have a different school with different standards are also discriminating against those who feel it's important to them. You don't have to agree, but they're entitled.

(25)
E.L.,
June 28, 2010 2:42 PM

The real issue-democracy or not?

I responded to someone while discussing this article:
The State of Israel is SUPPOSED to be a democracy, isn't it? ("Proclaim Liberty throughout the land" is one of OUR quotes, remember!). So, whether or not you appreciate a different way of life, there are plenty of people who do. AND, if they do, they ought to be free to live by that way of life--them and their children. Do you disagree with this freedom, this right which everyone else who lives in any other democracy enjoys? What would you do if the government forced you to send your children to a particular school system that was antithetical to your values? These parents ought to have the freedom of choice to educate their children as they see fit, either in a different public school, or they can form a private school, or they can bus their kids to a different community, or they can even homeschool.
HOWEVER, the DEMOCRATIC Israeli government forbade ALL these options, and INSISTED these parents should send their kids to the local public school ONLY. The parents have been fined 200 shekel each (400 shekel per family, about $200) every day their children do not attend school. AND IN ADDITION, the parents were thrown into prison for not sending their kids to the local public school. The court even insisted the mothers to go to jail, along with their babies (and it didn't matter to the courts that their other children should be left at home without any parents).
Furthermore, isn't a court in a democratic government supposed to be accountable to the evidence presented to them? Aren't they supposed to give a FAIR ruling based on the facts? How, then, can they charge 80 parents, mothers and fathers, with discrimination against Sefardim--even though 25% of these parents ARE Sefardim.
The real issue is--the Israeli government is discriminating against people who choose to live a particular way of life, and they are using non-democratic methods to do so.

(24)
David,
June 28, 2010 2:38 PM

Missing the Point

This opinion piece misses some basic points.
1) The school is funded by the Israeli government.
2) The government makes the makes the rules (usually being very careful to consider the sensitivities of the people affected.
3) The Supreme Court is the final arbiter.
4) People who do not abide by court rulings challenge the authority of the State and must be prepared to endure the consequences.
In no other country in the world, would Haredim make the demands that they do of the system, and also demand that the system pay for it, even if they don't want to follow the rules. If this is really so important for them, they can stop taking State money and form their own privately funded system. While I support the right of Haredim to have their own schools and to live a lifestyle of their choosing, I find their disregard for state authority personally offensive and destructive to the Jewish people. The whole circus, including demonstrations, is an example of Sinat Hinam.

(23)
Deena,
June 28, 2010 12:46 PM

Let's make this simpler -

How do we know that there was no ethnic discrimination in the Chassidic school in Emanuel?
10 points to consider
1. About 30% of the girls in the school were Sefardi
2. The school is Chassidic. More than 90% of Sefardim in general are not Chassidic.
3. Every girl - regardless of ethnic background - who agreed to sign the school regulations was accepted to the school.
4. There was NEVER a girl who was NOT accepted to the school(!)
5. 17 of the 43 fathers who went to prison were Sefardi.
6. 6 of the 8 mothers sentenced to prison in the last hearing on the case were Sefardi.
7. After the petition was sent, the Ministry of Education sent a non-religious investigator, Dr. Mordechai Bess (former CEO of the State Comptroller Offices), who concluded with no doubt, that there was absolutely no racist discrimination in the school (the court chose to ignore this investigation and offered no explanation).
8. All the Sefardi parents in the Chassidic school, and many in the general track - were happy with the two-track arrangement. (Neither wanted the standards kept by the other).
9. The petitioning party was not able to disprove any of the facts above.
10. The petitioning party was not able to present any supporting evidence to their claim!
And yet, the Israeli HCoJ chose to ignore the facts, ignore the evidence, ignore the fact that there was no evidence to the contrary, ignore the conclusions which the ministry of education reached when investigating the matter thoroughly - - and declared the school guilty of the charges.
FOLLOWING THE JUDGE'S ORDERS, the school closed down, but the parents, instead of sending their girls back to the general track, chose to open a private school of their own, as per their Rebbe's advice.
The judges, infuriated that they were not actually sending their children back to the original general track, sentenced them to prison (!!).
Now you have the basic facts.
You be the judge.

(22)
Zehava,
June 28, 2010 12:20 PM

Not Missing The Point At All

There are some reasons to believe that there was discrimination in the Emanuel case:
- Accounts of Sephardi Charedim who felt insulted by being depicted as if their level of observance falls short (as if they have T.V or internet in their homes and so forth)
- Accounts of girls being called names based on them being Sephardi without the teacher protesting.
- The very fact that the case was brought up by a Charedi (not anti-charedi secular) group who felt they couldn't count on the Rabbinic court to get justice in such a rampant atmosphere of discrimination.
- The fact that HaRav Ovadya Yosef, a prominent Charedi (and Sephardi) Rabbi who many Sephardim look up to, stated that there was discrimination in Emanuel. While he spoke strongly against bringing the case to a secular court he said that the discrimination in Emanuel should be resolved through negotiation.
I have a question to Rabbi Shafran and Agudath Israel: if he is so aware of the ongoing discrimination against Sephardim, why is he quick to come to the rescue of these few by comparison parents, but not cry out for the sake of the many Sephardim who are wronged for so long? What does Agudath Israel do to abolish this discrimination?

(21)
C D Goldberg,
June 28, 2010 7:38 AM

Disturbing

The anti - semites are out there to destroy the Jewish People and the Jewish "way of life", and will put to good use the doctrine of devide and rule. There is far too much hypocricy amongst the Jewish people and a buch of idiots who run Jewish Affairs world wide. Have we Jews not learnt our lessons from the Holocaust and other acts of anti - semetic persecutions. The Serphardic Jews are the original 100% Jews, although we Askinazim have made Judaism a bit too strict. Jews of all persuasions must learn to work together to ensure Jewish survival.

(20)
Bentsion,
June 28, 2010 6:38 AM

Lo Tidgodedu

There is a simple mitzvah in the Torah "Lo Tidgodedu" meaning do not make groups. Everybody needs to study this mitzvah well, including author of this article. Charedi parents didn't have the support of Torah and Shulchan Aruch that is why their fate is decided by a secular court.

(19)
Eric,
June 28, 2010 6:35 AM

Missing the Point

After having read this article, and then the readers' responses, it seems that many readers are simply missing the point. This article is not about the problem of discrimination that exists in Israel. As the author even acknowledged: "There is no doubt that discrimination against Sephardim exists in Israeli society, and that it is pernicious and must be fought wherever it appears. The question about the Emmanuel issue, though, is whether such discrimination -- or, rather, parents’ concerns for the tenor of their children’s educations -- motivated the establishment of the new school." Many readers missed this very basic point and have gone on to use this forum as a soapbox to complain about their issues with discrimination in Israel. Please try to stay on topic! Most of us agree that there is a problem and that discrimination can be tragic. However, this article is not about the general topic of discrimination in Israel! The author cited numerous examples of why this case is not about discrimination, and if you look into the case itself, you can find many more. Additionally, you can also learn more about the underlying facts to this case in Responses 11 and 12 to this article. I do not have to repeat these examples - read them again and perhaps you may overcome the biases that you began with. View this case objectively and if you are intellectually honest, you will realize that there is blatant injustice here . . . and it is against the parents who have been forcibly jailed. It is truly sad to realize that the media was successful in its purpose to transform this issue into a case about discrimination and needlessly turn Jews against each other. Perhaps we should also think about that as the Three Weeks begin?

(18)
Beverly Kurtin,
June 28, 2010 5:22 AM

That is the reason...

The chances of Messiah showing up anytime in the near future is zero. The chances of my plans of going to Israel to live have been permanently cancelled.
IF JEWS DO NOT LOVE ONE ANOTHER WE DO NOT DESERVE MESSIAH NOR DO WE DESERVE TO STAY IN OUR LAND.
Am "I" saying that? Go read Tenach; it tells the conditions for Messiah to come and right now with various groups of Jews hating each other we do not deserve favors from Hashem.
Wow, when Hashem called us a stiffnecked people, he knew us better than we did and still do.
I am NOT a prophet but I read Tenach. Hear this, Israel, start loving each other unconditionally as we were commanded in Leviticus 19:18 or forget seeing divine help.
I love that miserable scoundrel who pulled off the largest pyramid scheme in history, not because of what he did, but because he is a fellow Jew.
I love each and every Jew on this planet and there are lots of non-Jews I love too. But stop praying for Messiah...pray that Hashem places love in your hearts for each other.

(17)
Anonymous,
June 28, 2010 2:06 AM

Discrimination against Sephardim is chilul Hashem

While trying to make Aliya a few years back my husband and I faced discrimination while trying to get our children into a school in Israel. The space here does not suffice to describe the poor treatment we received despite our children's good middos and grades and numerous references. While on that trip I found out that among Sephardim discrimination is not even an "open secret" it is a fact of life. WIDE SPREAD DISCRIMINATION INCREASES SUSPICION THAT EMANUEL IS NO DIFFERENT. Trying to follow the news I heard both points of view mentioned in this article but was horrified to hear accounts of Sephardi girls being called "Sephard-Jukim" - Sephardi cockroach in front of a teacher without the teacher protesting. In anti-Semitic countries such as Russia there used to be established quotas as to the percentage of Jews allowed in universities and it’s deplorable that such a method is used today by Jews against Jews. It is extremely painful for parents to have their children discriminated against. I myself cried bitterly during that trip. I believe that Hashem watches and hears these cries and they count no less then the name of any Rabbi and any political considerations.
As we enter the three weeks I hope and pray that the Rabbis in Israel and elsewhere including Agudas Yisroel Rabbis will work diligently to promote true Ahavas Yisroel.

(16)
Anonymous,
June 27, 2010 8:30 PM

Sorry Rabbi,
While secular liberal(ironically) Israeli society is the
most racist against spehardim to my great shock
askenazi charedim are a close second.Lets face it only in mercaz harav(setteler)-bnai Akiva and chabad circles do we find spehardim treated as full jews.
Perhaps we have a thing or two to learn from those so called less frum jews.
do you find

(15)
Mike Jacobson,
June 27, 2010 8:15 PM

A head-shaking hypocrisy!

I think there's more here than meets the eye. Note the amazing hypocrisy of the Israeli supreme court decrying the so-called "anti-Sephardi" sentiments in the religious world -- when only 1-out-of-14 justices on the Israeli supreme court is Sephardi!

(14)
Judith,
June 27, 2010 6:18 PM

Great article!!

I do hope that this article is syndicated and can try to combat the false reports in the secular and foreign media

(13)
Ely,
June 27, 2010 6:11 PM

I live in Israel and have a Sephardi wife. Her family who are charedim (for many generations) and who have lived in Bnei Brak for half century cringe when a new baby is born with a dark complexion because they know the difficulties they will now have in getting their children into cheder. When discussing mortgages for a house and the type of area it is good to live in, I was told by a chasid at a bank in Bnei brak that "you can't trust arabs even if they have been under the ground for 50 years, and the same is for Sepharadim". All Israelis know that the good Ashkenazi schools in Israel have a strictly enforced "quota" for spheradim, regardless of the religious level (and the 30% sephardim quota in Emmanuel isn't a proof that there isn't racism there). The truth is that (from what I have seen and what my wife's approximately hundred or so cousins in Bnei Brak tell me) a child from a less religious ashkenazi family will have less problems getting their children into a cheder than a sephardi child from a more religious family. The problem is rampant and the rabbanim who stay quiet on this issue (pretty much everyone) should perhaps take a lesson from the story of Bar Kamtsa.

(12)
Deena,
June 27, 2010 5:26 PM

one last point...

Following the petition in 2008, the Ministry of Education sent an inspector - Dr. Mordechai Bess (former CEO of the State Comptroller office)- to investigate whether or not there was, in fact, discrimination in the school. After interviewing parents from both schools and living in Emanuel for a week, checking out everything in depth, Dr. Bess wrote: "...My additional conclusion, that this division has no racial background, is based both on files which I have studies as well as what I have learned and (understood) from parents in both schools and from the complainants at my meeting with them. An especially convincing factor to the Chinuch Atzmai's argument, the principal and the parents who instigated the division, is that whichever (one) of the parents who were interested in registering their daughters to the new school and were willing to accept upon themselves the conditions for that – were not refused. Not only was this argument not contradicted, it was not even disproved by the complainants," asserted Bess, and completed his conclusion with the words – "If there is no rejection – where is the discrimination??"..
A few parents petitioned. The Ministry of Education investigated the complaint and found it to be completely baseless. They sent their results to the court -and yet the court, disregarding both their conclusions as well as the fact that the other side had absolutely no proof to the contrary - found the parents "guilty" - and offered no explanation.
The facts speak for themselves...

(11)
Deena,
June 27, 2010 5:20 PM

There are answers

To "Anonymous" -
you are asking valid questions, but there are valid answers, that were somehow - inadvertently or deliberately - not presented in the media. First - whether or not the parents wanted their children to associate with children of lesser religious values is a matter of personal world-view. The High Court of Justice cannot, in a democratic country, force its viewpoint upon others - just as you and I may disagree but I cannot force you to view things the way I do or to educate your children the way I deem appropriate. That is what democracy is all about. The HCJ can declaire a school building illegal or shut down educational systems (where supporting evidence of misconduct is proven) - but it cannot force parents to send their children to one school over another.
Second - the parents were never a side in the case. The petition was against the school for supposed "segregation" - not against the parents for choosing to send their children to that school. The parents were thrown into prison while never having been given the chance to actually be a side in the case.
Third - regarding your question about "lack of resources" - the court had many resources and even proven evidence, yet refused to refer to it. Not only that, after the Emanuel parents proved beyond a shadow of doubt that there was, in fact, NO ethnic discrimination (as the author explained and using additional supporting evidence) - the court nevertheless, and WITHOUT OFFERING ANY REASON OR EXPLANATION - ruled that the parents were guilty. Why? Because.
I will add one more crucial point in a separate post, but one last comment - I have researched the matter thoroughly and there are answers - easy, obvious answers - to every question. Feel free to ask - I will be glad to respond. What strikes here more than anything is the court's obvious contempt for Haredi Judaism and their rabbis, and their satisfaction at the chance to "get back" at the community they hate so much.

(10)
Anonymous,
June 27, 2010 5:06 PM

one fed up Sephardi

Rabbi Shafran writes that prejudice exists in Israeli society? Call it straight, please. It exists in our religious society, often subtly, too often blatantly. I'm a Sephardi who lived in Israel for many years with an Ashkenazi last name so I got to see it without people knowing my ethnic background. It's ugly. It's snobbism, and it's really there. Every article I've read keeps giving lip service -- yes, the prejudice is terrible, but no -- that's not what's happening at Emanuel. How quickly we shrug off our responsibility to fix this evil attitude. We think we get credit just by pointing it out. In this week's leading Torah magazine, it writes about the problem of "too many Sephardim trying to push their way into our institutions." !!!! Sure, if I were those Emanuel parents, I'd have marched off to jail with them to defend my rights for high level Torah education-- and then demanded that hareidi society look deep into its Ashkenazi soul and uproot all the biases and discrimination. That moment has yet to come. No more lip service. Excuse me, too little, too late. Hashem is knocking on our thick skulls -- the 3 weeks are coming. Every Torah class should be addressing this aveirah.

(9)
Elizabeth,
June 27, 2010 5:01 PM

What s your point?

I am trying to understand what you are trying to communicate with this article. Are you saying that the Sephardi m are racist here? I am a Ashkenazim Jew by heritage but look Sephardi, and have found it difficult to fit in with Orthodox Jews. I am much more comfortable around more diverse groups of people because have seen too much hatred towards Arabs, which I don't feel.

(8)
Zeev,
June 27, 2010 4:57 PM

No priesthood.

It is disgraceful for religious Jews place themselves above others; the opposite is true. If you have achieved something you must share your enlightenment. It is the less observant with whom holy practice must be shared. I am sure the great Akiva would side with the Court.

(7)
Deborah,
June 27, 2010 4:20 PM

Making sure your children only associate with the "right" type of jews is a mistaken approach. What will they do when they encounter many modern lifestyles as they will inevitably? Better to discuss with them why and how you observe. Then they can develop an internal map to carry with them. We make our children very vulnerable by being too insular.

(6)
Anonymous,
June 27, 2010 3:35 PM

Disagree however thank you for added details

Although I agree that media often distorts info and omits facts, having read extensively about this including details written by many Rabbis, I believe this situation is exclusionary with purpose to discriminate. Most importantly, it is in direct contrast to how Jews must live and it is absolutely hurtful to G-D. I love and care for my fellow Jews regardless of sect and origin. I believe biblical that we were created together and must care equally for one another. If not me than whom.

(5)
Anonymous,
June 27, 2010 3:15 PM

What does HaShem want?

Does HaShem want Jews to put up a seperation wall so complete that it is insulting to other Jews? Fine if you want a seperate track, lots of schools have that. But the exclusion was so insulting and hurtful. Couldn't the seperation have been more gentle and loving? And the high court would not have gotten involved if it was a private school, but they do have something to say about what happens in public education. Embarassing another Jews is the greatest sin of all, more sinful then using the internet, is what I learned. This whole incident was so painful to read about and It gave me a lot to think about the way I seperate myself from other Jews and how painful that is. I am working on having a more inclusive loving heart because of what I saw these Haradi parents do. I do not want to be like that.

(4)
,
June 27, 2010 3:11 PM

was a discrimination yes!!

i read the articule but my opinion is that was a discrimination yes, if they want a hight level of haredius so they should do a rules "takanon" that everybody must to obedience, not matter if is a askenazy or sefaradi girl!

(3)
Anonymous,
June 27, 2010 2:44 PM

Not So Fast...

There may yet be a subtle prejudice here - though hardly racist - a prejudice against choice of lifestyle. Clearly the parents of the "second group" did not want their children to associate with children from a lifestyle they consider less observant. However, is there evidence that the school itself was lowering its standards? Was there a definite major incident or a series of minor incidents that triggered this change - seeing as for years the existing Beit Yakov was good enough for their children? And what role does lack of resources play in the court's decision? Etc...

(2)
Elena,
June 27, 2010 9:17 AM

Right on

Your article is totally correct-thank you for publishing it and providing an alternative to the blatantly untruthful media reports about this case. The Supreme Court judges should be put in jail for incarcerating these parents. May true justice me served.

(1)
Anonymous,
June 27, 2010 8:07 AM

Thank You

Thank you for providing clarification to a very misrepresented case in the media.

I want to know about the concept of "sin" due to Adam and Eve eating from the Tree of Knowledge. The Christian concept of sin revolves around the fall of the man and the "original sin." Does Judaism view it the same way?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Adam and Eve were punished according to their actions. In other words, God laid down the conditions for Adam and Eve to live in the garden, provided they would not eat from the Tree of Knowledge. However, if they were to eat from that tree they would be punished by experiencing death. (If they had not eaten from the tree, they would have remained immortal.)

This sets down the basic principle in Judaism of Reward and Punishment. Basic to this is that every person has the choice of doing good or bad. When a person chooses "good" – as defined by God – he is able to draw close to God. In other words, every individual has a chance to "gain salvation" through his own actions.

My understanding of Christianity, however, is that the Original Sin has infected all of mankind to the point where individuals are incapable of achieving salvation through their own initiative. Man is "totally depraved" and therefore his only hope of salvation is through the cross.

This belief is contrary to the teachings of Judaism. From the Torah perspective, an individual does not need to rely on anyone else to atone for them. In Judaism, sins can be "erased" altogether by sincere repentance and a firm resolution never to repeat the mistakes.

For more on this, read "Their Hollow Inheritances" by Michael Drazin – www.drazin.com

Yahrtzeit of Moses in 1273 BCE (Jewish year 2488), on the same day of his birth 120 years earlier. (Consequently, "May you live to 120" has become a common Jewish blessing.) Moses was born in Egypt at a time when Pharaoh had decreed that all Jewish baby boys be drowned in the Nile River. His mother set him afloat in a reed basket, where he was -- most ironically -- discovered by Pharaoh's daughter and brought to Pharaoh's palace to be raised. When Moses matured, his heart turned to aid the Jewish people; he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Jew, and he fled to Midian where he married and had two sons. God spoke to Moses at the Burning Bush, instructing him to return to Egypt and persuade Pharaoh to "let My people go." Moses led the Jews through the ten plagues, the Exodus, and the splitting of the Red Sea. Seven weeks later, the Jews arrived at Mount Sinai and received the Torah, the only time in human history that an entire nation experienced Divine revelation. Over the next 40 years, Moses led the Jews through wanderings in the desert, and supervised construction of the Tabernacle. Moses died before being allowed to enter the promised Land of Israel. He is regarded as the greatest prophet of all time.

Lack of gratitude is at the root of discontent. In order to be consistently serene, we must master the attribute of being grateful to the Creator for all His gifts. As the Torah (Deuteronomy 26:11) states, "Rejoice with all the good the Almighty has given you." This does not negate our wanting more. But it does mean that we have a constant feeling of gratitude since as long as we are alive, we always have a list of things for which to be grateful.

[Just before Moses' death] God said to him, "This is the Land that I promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob" (Deuteronomy 34:4).

The Midrash says that Moses pleaded to live long enough to be able to enter the Promised Land. He surrendered his soul only after God instructed him to enter Heaven and inform the Patriarchs that the Israelites had come to their Land and that God had indeed fulfilled His promise to give the Land of Israel to their descendants. To fulfill God's will was dearer to Moses than his craving to enter the Land.

It is only natural to cling to life, and the thought of leaving this world is depressing. However, if a person develops the attitude that he lives only in order to fulfill God's will, then life and death are no longer polar opposites, because he lives to do the will of God, and when that will requires that he leave this world, he will be equally obedient.

The seventh day of Adar is the anniversary of Moses' death. He wanted to enter the Promised Land so that he could fulfill the commandments and thereby have a new opportunity to fulfill the Divine wish. He surrendered his soul willingly when he was told that there was a special commandment for him to perform, one that could only be achieved after leaving this earth.

We refer to Moses as Rabbeinu, our teacher. He not only taught us didactically, but by means of everything he did in his life - and by his death, as well.

Today I shall...

try to dedicate my life to fulfilling the will of God, so that even when that will contradicts my personal desires, I can accept it with serenity.

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